When Fall Comes Around
by ElementofHeart
Summary: [October Writing Prompts] [14/31] A series of prompt-related ficlets revolving around a certain hedgehog and human. [shadmaria] [to be continued in October of 2020]
1. angels

**For an October writing prompt list. I'll try my best to update this story everyday until the end of the month!**

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i. angels

"Well aren't they little angels?"

It came out as more of a quiet statement than a question, not at all pompous as he'd planned it to sound.

The older scientist continued to stand quietly besides the cribs lined up in a neat row, taking up a small portion of the otherwise large, carpeted room. A book case towered from across the room, filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes, a multitude of toys peeking out from a box to his right that would've otherwise matched the bright colors of the room.

A lone rocking chair stood to the side.

The lines on his face only creased further at the reminder, making him look older than he felt.

"So these are my niece and nephews." Eggman gave a deep sigh, the moonlight reflecting off his spectacles and giving him a more somber glow.

Carefully placing a gloved hand on one of the cribs, a slight frown made his way to his lips, at war on what to feel. One life had been sacrificed for theirs, and while logically it should sound reasonable, it still didn't help that even as he watched the sleeping babes rest for the night, he didn't feel a single ounce of remorse for thinking it hadn't felt like a fair deal.

He came here looking for closure, he admitted to himself sardonically, but instead he only felt...incomplete.

But there was nothing else he could do besides stare, as if willing for some sort of epiphany to manifest itself from the small bundles of life and tell him why she wasn't here anymore.

As he proceeded to exit the room, he stopped for a moment upon noticing that the small figure that still stood with his arms crossed, shoulders still remaining taut and demeanor on the defensive side. It was obvious he'd been watched the entire time, the hedgehog more than likely ready to strike from behind at one wrong move despite the obvious signs that the grim situation was weighing heavily on even his shoulders, but at that moment the older male didn't care much to lay a sarcastic remark.

For once in his life, the scientist felt _pity_ for the creature. Maybe even empathy, but he couldn't show it; years of seeing the red-striped anthropomorphous as an enemy had hardened him too much, and no cousin of his, dead or alive, could've ever changed that.

Matching his gaze, the, once again, solely living Robotnik muttered gravelly, a strange sort of understanding passing between them, "You take care of them, Shadow", before heading down the empty corridor and leaving the silent home without another word.

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 **Kind of don't like how this turned out, but let me know what you think! :)**


	2. hunger

**Haven't updated this like I'd planned but oh well. I'll make it up somehow. :')**

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ii. hunger

He watched quietly, waiting.

It was a little before midnight, and despite the heavy doses of sleep hitting him harder the longer he stared at the tall wooden door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious being that fought of his family's hunger by bringing them food every night, he was determined to see it through. If his mother refused to tell him by making up excuses for him and his siblings, then that was fine with him—he'd find out a different way.

One, he realized, that was a lot harder than he'd been expecting.

He internally groaned, gazing at the door for a while until his eyes began to droop, to the point where it was nearly impossible to even keep them open for more than a couple of seconds at a time.

 _No!_ He thought stubbornly, slamming his fist onto the carpet. He'd spent too much time waiting patiently for their night visitor to stop now. Not when he was so close...

So far, he squinted at the kitchen from behind him where the stove's clock lay, he'd been awake for almost five hours, just a little past four in the morning. If it hadn't been for the movie being too long, and his mother forgetting to keep track of the time, it would've been more difficult to stay up than it already was.

But now, his heart sunk with understanding, at the rate he was going, his body wouldn't make it. Still, the boy tried for a while longer, staying quite all the while and tapping his fingers along the soft flooring of the entrance. But when what felt like hours was only ten minutes, according to the clock, even he knew it was over.

So with a reluctant, frustrated whimper the boy curled beside the fluffy maroon carpet in front of the door. It didn't take long for him to start dozing off, relaxing almost immediately once he'd stop fighting against his body's need to rest. In moments he was asleep, numb to any outside sensations even if he'd initially felt cold without his favorite blanket and warm bed.

Too numb to even realize that the door had opened, paused for a few moments as the figure stood silently, more than surprised to see the small boy almost passed out on the soft carpet, quietly assessing the situation before closing the door behind gently, crimson irises still watching as the young boy's chest rose and fell with each soft breath.

Arms came down to pick up the young boy, gentle in their hold and for a moment the child stirred, blinking slowly and revealing a matching set of eyes _._

 _"Dad...?"_ He whispered sleepily, the pull of slumber too strong for his weak and inexperienced body, eyes shutting to a close as the warm body, familiar in it's embrace, continued to hold him, leading him down the hallway.

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 **In case anyone was wondering or was confused at the ending: yes, that was Shadow in the very last scene.!**


	3. horses

**Alright so this will be two chapters in one day! While this one is shorter than the rest, the next one will be a lot longer. (To the point where I don't think it could count as a drabble lol).**

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iii. horses

It'd been a simple comment, a passing one really that she felt they all could've walked away from.

But she knew when he halted them from walking any further, the hand interlocked with her own having separated as he snarled at them through clenched fangs, that he wasn't going to let it slide as easily. Insulting him was one thing—but Maria was considered sacred; untouchable. They'd truly struck a nerve that not even that Faker could ever hope to reach.

It seemed that _they_ knew it too, because the large gang of horses had already turned around towards them, taunting in their words and grinning widely at her companion's obvious displeasure, inwardly seething at the slight to his mate.

Realizing what this would lead up to, the young woman took a step forward in an attempt to pacify her deadly silent companion, saying in a rushed whisper, "Shadow, don't—"

But he'd already taken off, and she shielded her eyes from the dust that swirled around her, wincing at the sounds of the the biker gang members' cries of pain and cursed shouts. The blonde swore she heard the sound of motorcycle engines revving close by, followed soon after by more battle cries before a series of quick explosion silenced it permanently.

 _'I think you're taking this a little too far for a comment.'_ Maria sweat-dropped, feeling sympathetic for the anthros who wouldn't be able to stand up from this for at least a good week. It wasn't long until the pressure surrounding the parking lot seized, and after a moment of debate, blinked open her eyes only to immediately lose temporary use of her sight by a familiar gloved hand.

Despite her attempt not to, she was touched by his action. He hadn't wanted her to see what he'd done to them; although she could feel him practically glowing with pride, he knew that she wouldn't find the sight before her as pleasant to look at.

"Shadow..." Maria pouted in disapproval, but the hedgehog had already taken her hand again with his other one, leading her past the fallen, unconscious bodies and towards the entrance of the bright circus, ignoring the looks of surprise that were shot at them by onlookers as he muttered about "those damn horses" and their lack of civility under his breath on the way there.


	4. candy wrapper

**Second update in one day! As I said in the chapter before, I don't think this could be considered a drabble. ^^' But oh well, I'll be sure to make the future chapters a lot shorter. In any case, enjoy!**

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iv. candy wrapper

"I hope you learned your lesson again, Maria," the girl in question only ducked her head in embarrassment, clasping at the edges over her bed with shaking hands, avoiding the exasperated look on she knew was on the elder's face. After so many years, it seemed the girl was still convinced that she could hide the small treats from him when she thought he wasn't looking...it was already that time of year back on Earth, Halloween, and while he knew some of the other scientists took sympathy on her for always missing out by bringing candy from below, it seemed they always seemed to do more harm than good.

For the fifth year in a row, she was bedridden with both high blood sugar and an intense stomach ache that would leave her sick for at least a good week. If he hadn't looked deeply into the situation (aka, finding the candy wrappers hidden discreetly at the bottom her trash can), he wasn't sure what would've become of his dear granddaughter.

While the Professor wanted to spend the next few hours tending to her, he unfortunately needed to complete some tests by tomorrow's deadline, leaving him no room for any free time of his own. Damn GUN and their outlandishly ridiculous last-minute deadlines.

Shaking his head, Gerald called out as he made his way out the door, "Watch over her, Shadow. Make sure that she doesn't escape for any more of those terribly unhealthy sweets."

Shadow nodded in response, and with that the door automatically shut with a quiet _whoosh_ , leaving only him and Maria.

Immediately, the atmosphere grew awkward.

It had already been three months since Shadow had been first activated, and while she'd seen the mysterious hedgehog many times, whether it be when she accompanied her grandfather or when she'd see him around the hallways walking behind another scientist, they'd never really talked-talked. Any conversation Maria had tried making—she'd lost count of how many a long time ago—the hedgehog would only respond to her with slight head movements or just ignore her, never really giving her a real response.

She'd been hurt the first few times, unsure of the origins of his standoffish attitude towards her, but had eventually accepted with a heavy heart that maybe they just weren't meant to be friends like she'd originally hoped, back when she first saw him in his capsule.

It wasn't like she was someone important...she was merely just a relative of his creator, not at all gifted with an intelligent mind and served no benefit to him whatsoever. _He didn't need friends._

By then the silence was deafening, the only sound being the beeping of her heartbeat on the monitor and her soft breaths. Shadow still sat beside her, but he didn't say a word, only looked at the brightly teal-painted wall in front him. It was like he wasn't even there.

Maria looked down at her blanket, biting the inside of her cheek in guilt. She wanted to apologize for demoting him to a simple aid for a stupid girl that had been too wrapped up in eating candy that she'd lost control and hospitalized herself in the process. The reality of the situation made her cheeks burn further in shame.

But how should she say it? Was there a way she could tell him without being more of a bother than she already was? Would he accept it?

 _Would he even care?_ Her hand crushed the white sheets beneath her palms, taking in a deep, shaking breath. _I'm so sorry, Shadow_ —

"Next time be a little more careful."

Maria's eyes widened slowly, quickly turning towards the hedgehog beside her, mouth agape.

Shadow had _spoken_ to her?

But he had already looked away, deep in thought as she usually saw him. If she hadn't spotted the way his eyes fought to look away from her gaze, she would've thought she had imagined the whole thing up. But the fact that he had said those words to her, with a gentleness she didn't know he possessed...

A lump suddenly formed in her throat. And just when she was having second-thoughts on befriending the silent experiment, thinking that maybe she was a bother for him...

"T-th..." Shadow turned back to her, surprised to see that she had tears welling up in her eyes, struggling to formulate her words. A friend! She had a friend! With a choked sob, but a smile that stretch to both sides of her cheeks it hurt, she whispered happily, hope blossoming in her chest, "Thank you, Shadow."

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 **Hope you all enjoyed this! I'll be sure to keep updating fast enough so that I can catch up. :') But tell me what you guys think! I'd love to hear some feedback from you guys!**


	5. time

**I...I'm not really sure what to think of this. But I'm just going to throw this out there and hope for the best. :) Thanks for all the new readers! It's really nice to see that people are actually taking the time to comment. It really is a good motivator!**

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v. time

"You've ever fallen in love, Shadow?"

It takes him a full minute to digest the question, not only because the question is unexpected, but because his mind wanders on the notion even human themselves haven't yet figured out.

 _Love._

It's not a definition that comes to mind, not at first. He's been programmed with over thousands of words in all sorts of languages, and he can easily find at least a various amount of definitions for the word "love". It should've been a natural for him to just throw out one of them, enough to give an answer to the Faker so that he doesn't ask again...an image, however, takes its place.

He doesn't want to remember, reminisce like this with anyone else. But he does, and instead he sits, leans back a bit and watches.

A girl with silky blonde hair and bright sapphire irises, standing patiently beside him with that familiar smile on her face. A smile so bright, he would've fought anything to keep it on her sickly face, make her happy. Beautiful in every sense of the word. She is everything and nothing to him, a forever and now a never...she's an anomaly that stands out more than anything strange in this world.

He sees her wrap her arms around his neck, her long lashes blinking up to meet his eyes as her lips move to form five familiar syllables.

 _I love you, Shadow._

For a moment he's captured a vision of what could've been; a time where love would've been sufficient for them both.

A definition is one thing, that he understands, but experiencing it is another.

But he doesn't say a word, not at first, only continues to watch as the two small hedgehogs, miniatures of both the Faker and his pink bride, play around the sandbox, squealing as they threw sand and tossed around to create a bigger mess than the children before them.

"Yes." The ebony hedgehog finally answered, crossing his arms. His face was void of any emotion, his companion notices, but his eyes...

Sonic waited for a few moments, but when his rival didn't elaborate any further, the former merely responded with an accepting hum, nodding his head as he turned back to watch his young as they played with a carelessness he's always wanted them to have.

Maybe one day Shadow would reveal more.

But for now, Sonic wouldn't pressure him, instead enjoy the simple answer for what it was.

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 **I feel like this was a little cheesy but oh well.** **┐(´∀｀)┌ I'm not very poetic...so bare with me in this chapter!**

 **Again, thank you for the support! Tell me what you all think down below on the reviews!**


	6. to do

**I don't know why I love the idea of Maria and Super Shadow interacting? I just think it's really cute imagining how Maria would act around seeing his form, especially when it's so dazzling to look at.**

 **But anyways, here's another (late) day to this October Prompts!**

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vi. to do

Her eyes scanned him, every inch of fur from the tip of his quills to the soles of shoes, still awestruck with the way he carried himself with such resolve, his fur shimmering with bright, warm chaos energy and his eyes gleaming in the light of it all. She'd thought by this time she'd be over it by now, but even taking a breath was proving difficult for her as he floated down for a quick moment, at eye level with her.

She was brought out of her thoughts when gloved fingers caressed the back of her bare hands, a question lingering in his wary gaze. _Will you be alright without me?_

She smiled, though shook her head at how even when the entire population was in danger, she would always come first to him. After all, she laughed quietly to herself, he had more important things to do than worry about her well-being. Squeezing his hands one more time before releasing, Maria took a small step back as she whispered softly, enough so that only he could hear her. "Go save us, Shadow."

At her words Shadow gave a confident nod, smirking in the slightest as he slowly rose from the ground; in an instant he took off beside Sonic and Silver, the three uniting to create a dazzling light that shone through the dark clouds.

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 **This one's a lot shorter (more like a drabble should be lol) but I hope you guys like it anyways!**


	7. a lost key

**Well I managed to tidy this one up as well. I originally wasn't sure what to do with this one, but I suppose this drabble is satisfactory for me.**

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vii. a lost key

"Found it!" Exclaimed a soft voice, coming from the other end of the hallway only to be followed by quick steps, Maria's head popping through the door with a bright smile. If it wasn't for her enthusiasm as she jangled the set of (now-complete) house keys, the previously lost front door key shining in particular, the ebony hedgehog would've felt the urge to scowl as the beep of a car horn sounded outside. "Hurry Shadow, they're all waiting for us outside!"

"They've barely arrived," Shadow grumbled, more towards the sight of his rival and their much too enthusiastic friends, all packed into one huge vehicle parked outside their home.

With one final look at the place, already regretting his agreement to accompany them from their _loud_ exclamations of excitement alone, he easily held both their packing bags in one hand, and interlaced the other with his mate's. But even the reassuring squeeze he received couldn't stop him from realizing, heart sinking at the sight of the only empty spots being between the rambunctious members of the Chaotix and the Faker's girlfriend...

Shadow sighed, gripping the bags tighter in his other hand.

This was going to be one _long_ camping trip.

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 **Thanks for reading! As always, be sure to leave a review down below!**


	8. feathers

**Of course the first thing I would write about with this prompt would be the Babylon Rouges. It only seems fitting, really.**

 **Also, I understand that Jet and the others, upon meeting Shadow, would find him to be uncannily similar to Sonic (seeing as how everyone in game-verse seems to think so), but let's just pretend they didn't notice. Enjoy!**

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viii. feathers

"You guys were amazing!"

Sighing in exasperation, Shadow proceeded to skate over to where she was standing beside the trio of birds, her hands clasped in front of her and her blonde waves bouncing with each shake of her head, excitement clearly written all over her. Thankfully her _companions_ —he used that term very loosely—didn't seem to mind...at least from what he could tell from their expressions.

The female was passive, face expressionless while the hulking albatross seemed to blush from the praise, as if he hadn't heard a good thing about himself before. The other bird, on the other hand...Shadow's fur suddenly prickled up just at the sight of the green hawk taking one step too close to Maria for his comfort.

Something felt off about that one.

But it seemed he was the only one though, because Maria continued to shower them with compliments without a care, her eyes sparkling in admiration as she proceeded to list out everything she liked about their performance. From their stunts to the way the wind seemed to move beneath their boards, it seemed she couldn't get enough of what her eyes had seen, utterly fascinated even after her hedgehog companion called her name. Multiple times.

"Oh, Shadow!" Maria turned to him with a bright smile, taking his hand in hers as she nodded off towards the others, "These are the Babylon Rogues! They're the ones we just seen perform earlier!"

"I see." Shadow gave a curt nod in a somewhat-acceptable greeting, not in the mood to talk to a bunch of obviously shady delinquents. Pulling her gently towards him, the hedgehog said, "Let's go, Maria. We're going to be late for—"

"Hey now, hold on!" At the corner of his eye he could see the hawk take a step forward, tone a little to demanding for Shadow's taste, "Let her stay for a while, will ya? It's not everyday we're here in town!"

The hedgehog's eye twitched. Like hell he would leave her with them.

"Maria," Shadow repeated tersely, completely ignoring the anthropomorphic bird and this time not bothering to hide his obvious distaste towards them, "I believe it's time for us to be leaving—"

"But she was just admiring how cool I was!" Shadow was cut off immediately by that same damn bird _._ The hedgehog nearly growled upon seeing a feathered hand rest comfortably on the blonde's shoulders so casually, like they were life-time buddies. He gave Shadow a smirk that stretched widely over his stupid beak, and it was then latter could confirm that without a doubt that these were dangerously deceptive birds. "Don't ya wanna see her happy? After all, it's not everyday she can even hang out with the _Fastest Thing Alive!"_

Without hesitation, a dark, menacing ball of chaos conjured in his hand, crackling loud enough to gain everyone's attention.

He felt satisfied upon seeing the wary, even alarmed looks that were sent his way, unapologetic of his actions even when his beloved sent him a look of disapproval. If it was for her protection, he'd act in whatever manner that would keep them from remaining close; the thought of anyone getting near enough to hurt her put him a little more on the defensive.

That wasn't to say he wasn't going to have a little fun with this, however.

 _"'Fasted Thing Alive?'"_ Shadow cocked a brow upon seeing the Leader of the Babylon Rogues gang up with his team, face coloring in anger at the obvious amusement the hedgehog was in. With a menacing step forward and smirk, he added lowly, "Don't make me _laugh._ Without that board of yours, you're as useless as a bird with it's wings clipped."

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 **Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you all think down below!**


	9. phones

**I like the idea of Shadow meeting Maria from another universe where she lost her Shadow, and I thought I would play with the idea a little.**

 **But ended turning into angst oops. ;-;**

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ix. phones

"Here."

His eyes widened slightly when she presented it to him from behind her back, her smile small but her eyes shining brightly in anticipation.

It was a present.

He hesitated for a brief moment—she ignored the sting at the obvious symbol of mistrust—before taking it in his lap, studying the way she'd wrapped with such care. A bright silver ribbon wrapped into a perfect bow lay atop, the strip illuminating from the sunlight that poured in from a nearby window, and he noted with a trace of his gloved thumb that it was enveloped neatly, no crinkles or mistakes visible whatsoever.

 _It's too perfect._

Shadow immediately stopped halted any further thoughts upon realizing that he was comparing between this present from the last present he could recall _his_ Maria ever giving him, chiding himself for blatantly disrespecting the woman before him. It didn't matter if this one was without fault; it had still taken a decent amount of time, and he'd be damned if he didn't at least show appreciation for it.

He nodded to her. "Thank you." Came his automatic reply, briefly hoping that it didn't sound so monotonous, before he gingerly uncovered the taped sides with a hand and opened it.

She tried to read him at first, sense him in the ways she used to with her mate, but his impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance gave little away. He was subtle in his actions, but she knew—he was trying to keep her away with the barriers he put around himself. He didn't want her to get too close.

A part of her felt...rejected, and she could feel the deep ache in her chest worsen, despite knowing full well that he wouldn't open up to her so easily. And of course he wouldn't, she reasoned. He'd lost someone special to him, just as she did, in the exact same way.

Regardless if she _were_ Maria Robotnik, in every way possible, that didn't change the fact that his lover, the one from this universe, was dead.

"...a phone?" She was brought back by his words, her sapphire eyes flickering to see that he was holding the device in his hand, looking quizzically at her.

"I seen them when I went out shopping a few weeks ago. I thought, since you're starting your new...job," she couldn't name the organization even now, not when just the mere sound of their name would make her burst into tears on the spot; even now, her voice shook at the thought, "You'll need one for when you need to contact anyone besides your co-workers. Though so far you have only my number..." Maria laughed lightly at that.

So they were going to be keeping in touch even more now. That was all the ebony hedgehog was able to put together, staring at the cellular device in his hand.

Shadow didn't know what to say to that.

It must've shown clearly on his face because Maria shifted a little in her seat, unused to hearing this much silence coming from someone she'd spent practically all her life talking endlessly with. It was unnerving to say the least, but the blonde was determined to make this work.

" _We_...Shadow and I, I mean," came her soft voice, and he noticed it felt strange hearing her name out of her mouth, knowing that she wasn't talking about him, but a version of himself that she herself had shared a whole other life with, "we lived in the age when the rotary phone came out. Only Grandfather or other high-rank officials were allowed access, but both of us had dreamed of one day using it to communicate with the people down on Earth."

In her haze of nostalgia, she didn't notice him shaking as she continued on, a wistful look in her eyes, "I...I don't know if you had the same wish, but I thought if you did then maybe I could fulfill something that we _both_ desired at one point, if given the chance. And now that I'm here, maybe we could do a lot of things you and I weren't able to—"

At that, Shadow abruptly stood up. Maria's smile faded at the look on his face, not angry, but...

"I'm sorry."

Maria watched as he began to walk away, gripping the edge of her chair as she whirled to look back at him, calling out, "Shadow, wait—"

"You're not her." His tone wasn't sharp, but it still pierced through her anyways. She was faced with the haunted look in his crimson irises, fists clenching at his side and teeth bared in an attempt to restrain himself from doing something he would regret. "Please, stop trying to act like you are."

He left just as he came. Quietly, and unsure.

The phone lay on the coffee table practically untouched.

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 **This is a little rough, but I don't see myself editing this anytime soon. Also, this will be one in a few updates tonight (coughbecauseI'mwaybehindonthisficcough) so I hope you all enjoy!**


	10. fire

**Another part of the mutiple updates! I hope you guys enjoy!**

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x. fire

He hated going to these kind of things— _meetings_ , he almost snorted at the thought that this could truly be defined as one, like these were only excuses to socialize with allies or friends that no one in here had put effort to be contact with until they were all locked in one room for the next few hours to think of a plan for GUN's new budget—and the idea of having to stick around here longer than he had to because none of these idiots were even on topic only helped to make his mood sour quickly.

That is, until Rouge passed by, Omega in tow, with word that she'd managed to get Team Dark excused from the rest of the meeting.

Her words caused the dark hedgehog to frown, answering, "I was told by Commander we could get terminated if we keep leaving before _this_ ," he nodded to the unorganized group chattering loudly amongst themselves, "ends. As much I would _prefer_ to leave, I'd like to keep a stable occupation while Maria and I get things ready for our child."

They were expecting in just a few, short months. And while Maria had indeed taken up a job at a nearby pastry shop, giving them more than enough for a well-adjusted domestic life, she'd had to leave it when she began to enter the third trimester, leaving the responsibility of their financial needs up to Shadow. He'd be damned if he failed them for not putting up with a ridiculous meeting full of annoying agents he'd have to convene with on a monthly basis anyways.

"Fire _us?_ " Rouge placed a hand on her hip, lifting a delicately raised eyebrow at the thought, glancing at the others. She had half a mind to laugh at the statement, instead leading the way for her partners, including a reluctant Shadow, to exit the room. "They'd be crazy to fire us—considering that we're the best damn agents in here."

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 **I've always liked Team Dark, so I thought I would include them in at least one chapter!**


	11. rehabilitation

**I've always wondered if there was ever a point where Shadow would just...be brought to the edge. I would say that it would only happen if something happened to Maria so...angst ahead (again)!**

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xi. rehabilitation

Thumbing through the results in the file, Gerald frowned as each page only repeated what he had suspected, line by line filled with data and evidence that proved his fears...and as he stood along with the other scientists, watching in awe and fear at his chaotic creation, a deep part of him felt remorse over the writhing creature, unable to even stand up properly.

"Please, he needs to know I'm okay!" Came the pleading voice of his granddaughter, her eyes staring at the hedgehog clutching at his temples, letting out a ear-splitting, venomous roar of her name that had her, and everyone else, frozen in place. Shadow's face contorted into grief, tears spilling down his cheeks as a multitude of vicious, deadly sparks encased the room; had it not been designed to withstand that much raw power, Gerald was sure the room, and to a greater extent the ARK as they knew it, would've been obliterated in mere moments.

Shadow was absolutely unhinged, brought in a state of despair by the death of Maria.

The _simulation_ of Maria.

A test gone horribly wrong that only resulted in the quick decay of Shadow's mental instability, who was too far gone to even let Gerald himself explain that his granddaughter was definitely **_alive_** and breathing...he cursed at himself for giving the simulated scenario such vivid realism that even he could admit would cause anyone to succumb to its authentic replication of life.

The Ultimate Lifeform, despite the iconicity of his namesake, had been no different to this.

"I'm sorry Maria," the Professor shook his head, holding the desperate, sobbing girl in his arms, equally at loss of what to do with his pained creation. At the rate Shadow was going, it seemed that no amount of rehabilitation would help the anthropomorphic hedgehog. Even with the inhibitor rings still on...

He squeezed her tighter.

 _"I'm so sorry."_

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 **As usual, please tell me what you thought! I didn't edit this one very much either, but I think I'll come back to this one at some point.**


	12. my bff

**Ahh I've always wanted to make a lighthearted chapter like this! Shadow and Maria interacting with other characters are one of my favorite types of fics! :D**

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xii. my bff

"You are _not_ my 'bff'." Shadow immediately declared the moment the passerby was out of earshot, clenching the vile "friendship bracelet" that was handed to them moments before by the human who felt the need to label them as such. It should've been obvious to anyone, regardless if they were sitting together and—as unusual as it was— _not_ fighting each other, that they were not friends.

The Faker could not, and never would be, his best friend forever. The thought almost made the Ultimate Lifeform shiver in disgust.

His companion snickered, a smile creeping on his face. "Could've fooled me," Sonic responded after taking a bite of his chili-dog, uncaring of the look of disgust his fellow hedgehog gave at the sight of some sauce spilling at the corner of his mouth. Wiping it off with a gloved hand, the blue blur nodded towards the two girls, a certain pinkette and blonde human, talking animatedly beside each other, "By the way, what's with you and Maria?"

The hedgehog beside him blinked, narrowing his eyes slightly, "What about Maria and I?"

Ignoring the defensiveness in his tone, Sonic continued with a careless shrug, "You're both really close."

"Of course we are. We were separated for more than half a century."

"That's not what I meant," the cobalt hedgehog said, pausing to take another bite, "You're both really, _really_ close. Like 'more-than-just-friends' close."

Shadow let the information sink in, his eyes flickering to said blonde as she came out with another shopping bag in tow. Upon seeing his gaze on her, Maria gave a cheerful wave, and the former did the same in return.

"You think we're mates?" He finally said, coming out as more of a statement than a question. And from the way Sonic seemed to go silent, he assumed he was correct.

"Damn," Sonic's eyes perked up to see his rival shaking his head, letting out an aggravated sigh as pulled out his wallet just as their female companions began to make their way towards them, grumbling something about, Amy and her "all-seeing tarot cards" all the while.

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 **Honestly I feel like Shadow and Amy would be pretty good friends if they were actually given the chance to interact more often than what we saw in SA2. I mean she was the one to remind him of Maria, so it seems fair. Maybe Shadow can balance her out of her "Sonic-fangirl" mode sometimes.**

 **Also Shadow making bets with her is hilarious, and though I'm not sure if Amy having tarot cards is canon in the games, I've just read a lot of fics were Amy has them and I rather like the idea.**


	13. unwritten

**I've always liked Shadow and Abraham interacting, so I thought I'd give my spin on it. Hope you all enjoy!**

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xiii. unwritten

"Why is her name not on here?"

Bronze and jade eyes turned to find the fuming hedgehog standing in front of his desk, a familiar book in the hedgehog's hands that only made the former sigh in understanding, knowing full well what Shadow was referring to.

He hadn't realized that maybe one day the annoying rodent would've discovered it—truth be told he hadn't counted on it, knowing that the red-striped agent had made a decision to no longer look back upon his past after the Dark Arms invasion.

It seemed he became nostalgic at some point and found it their case files library, Abraham cursed, forgetting that Shadow had recently ranked up enough to access them. They had foolishly forgotten to hide it, and now he was going to get the short end of Shadow's self-restraint as a result.

He spoke carefully, making sure to keep his voice level-headed and his face masked of any expression. "When the news broke out that the ARK had been infiltrated by the United Nations, nobody had known that there had been a child living there the entire time, only that there had been scientists that were to be detained and all work related to their inhumane research was to be destroyed," he explained, folding his hands in front of his face.

"The government knew full well what would come if the public found out that that child had been a casualty - a preventable one, and by the hands of a GUN agent no less." He looked up to see the hedgehog's gaze still on him, and already knew from the way he was poised, body shaking and claws digging into his gloved palm, the way he looked at the Commander with those feral eyes, that this wasn't going to end well.

The human paused, bracing himself, "The council unanimously decided not to add her name into the books, in the case that any investigators found anything...compromising."

"So pretending she never existed was the best option?" Shadow seethed, slamming the book on the table. As if fate had it, it opened itself and turned to the exact page of the list of fallen members, right under the "R" section. Near the upper half, Abraham could see ' _Robotnik, Gerald'_...but ' _Robotnik, Maria'_ was not under it. "The world deserves to know her name, who she was and how she contributed greatly to the cause of saving humanity! She's the only reason why any of you are _still alive_!"

"And she was the reason we were in danger in the first place," slipped out of Charles' mouth before he could think, but by then the damage had been done.

In that one moment, all hell broke loose.

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 **I always wondered if Shadow ever tried to right the wrongs GUN has made towards Maria. I hope, in some way, shape or form, he did.**


	14. the law

**I believe this is the last update of the night. Thank you all who've read up to this far-please tell me what you guys think!**

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xiv. the law

"Feel better now?" He whispered with a smile he only reserved for her, his forehead resting against her own as they stood beside one another at the altar, feeling a rush of ecstasy at the realization that just mere moments ago they had gotten married. For now, no one else would know of it, save for the anthropomorphic solemnizer who was sworn to secrecy—the world didn't need to know that Shadow the Hedgehog, savior of the world on various occasions, had slowed down for a human woman.

A very beautiful, _emotional_ human woman.

Maria sniffled as tears gathered, overjoyed despite the setback from earlier, and let out a soft laugh, "A lot better." It had stung, the rejection of their union, deeply penetrating the happiness she had when they had first arrived to get a marriage licence, only to be denied due to the nature of their relationship.

She'd seen the looks from both sides, heard their words and felt their looks. It was a terrible feeling, one that had left her in a deep gloom for the rest of the day. She thought she'd never get over the experience, always remembering it each time she looked at the ring on her left hand.

But when Shadow had bought her the dress she'd been looking at, showing up at their apartment and flat-on announcing in a black pinstripe suit that an officiator was waiting for them—

She swept a strand behind her ear, sapphire orbs melting at the sight of his own crimson looking at her, and felt her heart soar as she kissed him again, exclaiming with a watery smile, _"Thank you, Shadow!"_

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 **Honestly, despite how cheesy this might seem, I really do think Shadow would go this far for her.**


End file.
